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Perhaps my favorite part of the NFL Combine — scratch that…of NFL Network — is Rich Eisen. Rich ran his annual 40-yard dash after the festivities came to a close. Perhaps the best parts were the SimulCam™ clips of Rich going head-to-head with the athletes, including Darrius Heyward-Bey and B.J. Raji.
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With Michael Crabtree out of the NFL Combine mix, the prospects in perhaps the deepest wide receiver class in recent years had plenty to prove. A few took advantage of the opportunity to pull the focus onto themselves.
WRs. ACT FAST. No need to act. These guys can move. Last year, Dexter Jackson was the only WR to pull of a sub 4.3 40-yard dash. Johnny Knox from Abilene Christian clocked an unofficial 4.25 in the 40-yard dash (4.34 official), Deon Butler from Penn State did it in 4.26 (4.38), Mike Wallace from Ol’ Miss clipped a 4.28 (4.33) and Maryland standout WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey edged it out with a 4.29 (4.30). Like the supply of quality left tackles, the hoarding of WRs will probably begin in Round 1 of the draft contrary to the usual Round 2 assemblage.
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Much to the chagrin of draft analysts, Michael Crabtree will have an opportunity to run his 40-yard dash during his pro day on March 26th. Hopefully he’ll heed their advice and just have the surgery…but don’t bet on it. Ranking the rest of the wide receiver class is about as easy as flipping a coin. I like Brian Robiske as the second choice and a great long-term selection. Nevermind that his father is the Atlanta Falcons WR coach…the knowledge of the game Brian has inherited from his father is only one of his weapons.
Jeremy Maclin and Percy Harvin are the sexy picks that cannot be ignored because of their playmaking abilities. Whether or not that translates into success at the next level remains to be seen. I believe that regardless of where they end up, those teams will have to come up with creative ways to get them the ball to get the greatest return. Thank goodness for the wildcat.
Hakeem Nicks is another wideout that, like Robiske, has all of the pure WR fundamental talents necessary to be successful in the NFL including the all-important ‘run after catch’ ability. He may have also had the best catch of the year in the Meineke Bowl.
If my list included six WRs, #6 would be Jarett Dillard from Rice. He’s easily a top consideration. He boasts the ‘go-get-it’ of Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. If you find it hard to believe, watch some film on the guy. If you’re still skeptical, perhaps you’ll find his group best 42.5″ vertical impressive.
QBs. CONTROVERSY? The only controversy this year is whether or not Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez will be chosen first. Both are being criticized for their early exits from college. But when you consider the crop of guys coming next year — Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford — it may have been the best option for the two underclassmen.
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Matt Stafford has obvious pros including his fundamentals and laser, rocket arm, and he will likely be the first QB taken. Mark Sanchez has some great traits as well, but what’s more noticable is the cloud of inexperience hovering over him…with only 16 collegiate starts. Both ran similar times in the 40-yard dash: 4.84 on both attempts for Stafford, 4.88 and 4.97 for Sanchez.
As for Nate Davis of Ball State, I’ve referred to him before as a Swiss Army Knife…full of valuable tools. He has great awareness and field vision…a point guard on the football field. He’s got a powerful arm, but a weapon whose intensity he controls very well. He’s impressive with the long ball (even on the run), but more importantly he places the ball with precision in the short game.
Brian Hoyer from Michigan State is a huge question mark with great pro potential. His lackluster senior season has kept him under the radar. His biggest knock is his inconsistency, which may be a product of his lack of receiving targets. He had a solid, mistake-free East-West Shrine game. The 6′2″, 215-lb Hoyer is reportedly working with former Giants QB, Scott Brunner, who also worked with Joe Flacco last year. Josh Freeman from Kansas State will have more questions to answer…also under the radar as a product of his surroundings. But he’s got ideal size and tremendous arm strength, which he put on display at the NFL Combine.
Regardless of where they go in the draft, keep your eye on Brian Johnson from Utah, John Parker Wilson from Alabama, and Rhett Bomar from Sam Houston State. Pat White of West Virginia will work out as a QB and WR at his upcoming pro day on March 12. All of the talk about Pat White has been related to the wildcat formation. White threw the ball exceptionally well today, and he was able to run unofficial times of 4.50 and 4.49 in the 40-yard dash. With impressive post season play, Texas A&M QB Steven McGee has also been noticed…another wildcat prospect. McGee ran an unofficial time of 4.58 in the 40-yard dash.
RBs. MORE THAN ONE RINGER…AND A LUCKY ONE. There are a handful of solid runners in this draft. Perhaps the most promising — and my favorite — is Donald Brown from University of Connecticut. With the stats to back up his NFL roster spot, his biggest question mark going into the NFL Combine was his speed. Not anymore. Brown ran a pair of unofficial 4.48s (4.51 official) to go along with his 41.5″ vertical jump (#1) and 10′5″ broad jump (#2).
Chris “Beanie” Wells showed his leg strength by leaping 10′8″ (#1) in the broad jump. He unnecessarily made 5 more attempts only to fall short of his personal best. That may have tired his legs for the vertical jump and 40-yard dash, which was slower than even he anticipated. Despite the NFL Combine numbers, the biggest concern surrounding Wells is his durability. There’s no doubt in his playmaking ability. He’ll probably be better off in a two-back offense.
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Lesean McCoy is a tremendously talented runner. I previously referenced the Tron light bike scene (starting at about 1:08) to describe his running style. We’ve seen him time and time again turn nothing into something. And he has super awesome hands. I really wish he would have stayed back another season, so hopefully he proves me wrong. He didn’t perform in the NFL Combine due to illness.
Gartrell Johnson might be the next Marion Barber III. He’s built like a freight train, and moves like one too. Don’t confuse that analogy with straight line, downhill running. He has excellent lateral ability as well. Gartrell ran a 4.71 and 4.77 unofficially in the 40-yard dash. At the end of the season he pounded his way to 285 yards rushing and had 90 yards receiving in the New Mexico Bowl. He also achieved 6.3 yards/carry in the 2009 East-West Shrine Game.
Knowshon Moreno has alot of expectations to be the immediate homerun hitter coming out of the draft. In fact, many draft analysts believe he’ll be the first RB taken. He’s got an amazing work ethic that translates into his on-field performances: a very tough finisher. He also boasts great hands. Knowshon sprinted the 40-yard dash in an unofficial 4.55 seconds and he threw 225 lbs up 25 times (T-6th).
One RB most would expect in any top 5 list is Shonn Greene from Iowa. Despite running a respectable and unofficial 4.65 and 4.63 in the 40-yard dash, a 37″ vertical jump, and shedding some weight for the NFL Combine, I can’t help but think of Ron Dayne…NFL Ron Dayne. Not good. Another noteworthy RB that just doesn’t do it for me is Javon Ringer. If anyone proves me wrong, I really hope it’s Javon.
Ian Johnson of Boise State and Marlon Lucky from Nebraska have also made late arguments to be noticed. Marlon Lucky surprised alot of people in the 2009 East-West Shrine Game with his bursts — 9.7 yards/carry, 1 score and an offensive MVP award. He ran 4.59 and 4.55 unofficially in the 40-yard dash. And with 75 receptions in 2007, he can catch a little too. As far as Ian Johnson is concerned…the only thing I’m concerned about is whether or not he’ll be able to transition from blue to green turf. That’s a joke. Ian ran 4.38 and 4.44 unofficially in the 40-yard dash.
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Despite all of the buzz surrounding Michael Crabtree, Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez, the 2009 NFL Draft will likely feature a handful of big men. Jake Long led the field of draft picks in 2008, one of 5 tackles taken in the Top 20 last years…a trend that will undoubtedly repeat itself in ‘09. In fact, you could argue that 3 of the top 5 players drafted could be offensive tackles. Contrary to the belief that Georgia QB Matt Stafford will be granted the pole position, the Lions may be better off picking from the litter of premier left tackles available.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS. Of the left tackles available, there are easily three or four that can make an argument for top honors. Alabama OT Andre Smith may have won this year’s Outland Trophy and received multiple All-American nods, but his mounting rookie mistakes may have cost him valuable draft position. Regardless, he won’t be available very long. He’s arguably the most talented left tackle of the bunch.
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Since Orlando Pace was drafted #1 overall in 1997, the trend of choosing left tackles has proven to pay more dividends than any other position. St. Louis, Cinncinatti, and Jacksonville could benefit from blind side protection. Detroit will benefit from any pick they make, except maybe a wide receiver.
Detroit may also take the road last traveled and mimic Atlanta’s 2008 draft strategy. The Falcons chose QB Matt Ryan (3rd overall) and OT Sam Baker (21st overall). The Lions sit in a similar seat with the 1st and 20th (thanks, Cowgirls) picks.
Some of the more impressive performances on Day 1 of the NFL Combine came from Jason Smith from Baylor. He turned in 33 reps on the bench press and knocked off unofficial times of 5.14 and 5.20 in the 40-yard dash (5.22 officially). Louis Vasquez, a guard from Texas Tech, pushed up 39 reps on the bench press. Lydon Murtha, the 6′7″, 306-lb tackle from Nebraska, blazed through the 40-yd dash in 4.89 seconds (#1), recorded a 35″ vertical (#2), and flew 9′2″ in the board jump (T-2).
THE BEST…AND THE REST. Oklahoma State TE, Brandon Pettigrew, came into this year’s NFL Combine as the top tight end going into this year’s draft. And despite a highly althletic class of Belgian Blues tight ends, it’s rather unclear as to who will follow Pettigrew into the NFL. Pettigrew put his skills on display all season long impressing coaches with his capable blocking abilities and with his amazing route separation despite his big size and lumbering speed.
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As Dustin Keller did last year, South Carolina TE, Jared Cook, wowed on-lookers with his performances. In fact, he topped Keller’s numbers — unofficial 40-yd dash times of 4.42 and 4.49 (4.50 officially, #1), 23 reps in the bench press (#5), a 41″ vertical jump (#1), and a 10′3″ launch in the broad jump (#1). Cook suffered a minor hamstring injury while running his second 40-yd dash and did not participate in the remaining drills including the gauntlet. Not far behind him was James Casey from Rice.
The biggest question mark may be Cornelius Ingram from Florida. Going into the 2008 season, Ingram was one of the top tight end prospects for the upcoming draft. The former Gator shooting guard (2004-05) and quarterback suffered a torn ACL in August, which sidelined him for the remainder of the season. In 2007, he caught 34 passes for 508 yards and 7 TDs.
SQUIB NOTE. Whomever thinks kickers don’t do anything noteworthy during the NFL Combine should think again. USC Trojan PK, David Buehler, threw up 25 reps on the bench press. That was better than 27 offensive lineman. Impressive.
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And into the NFL.
With the 2009 NFL Combine just around the corner, scouts will be focused on certain players…and surprised by others. Obviously draft prospects from smaller schools don’t garner the same attention as their marquee counterparts.
But some players don’t need prime time TV games to prove their worth. Not when there’s YouTube. High-school standout Sam McGuffie pulled in over 2.8 million views with his McGuffie Mixtape. Enter Jarron Gilbert of San Jose State. The versatile defensive standout played both DE and DT for the Spartans. What’s more impressive are his 22 tackles for a loss in 2008…the most of any player in the DIV-1A. The 6′5″, 280-lber made heads turn at the East-West Shrine game. And while he isn’t listed on any “Top 5″ defensive lineman lists…yet…he may be gaining much needed momentum going into the NFL Combine.
This video is no cinematic thriller by any means. But with regard to his physical abilities, there is some degree of lucidity achieved by jumping out of a swimming pool. If you’ve never tried it…well, I bet you couldn’t…unless, of course, you can squat 635 lbs and dead lift 655 lbs.
Just the kind of thing he’ll be able to put on display at the NFL Combine. This ought to be good.
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